Beauty and the Beast
by Dazzlious
Summary: Belle is fascinated by a certain snarky Potions Master, but what will Severus think of Belle?


A/N: _A section on the Occlumency site called the Potions Master's Muse has a challenge called "So Many Buttons, So Little Time". Now, I never did get round to reading the criteria for the story (sorry) because I couldn't track it down on the LJ site of PMM, and couldn't join the Yahoo group as I can't remember my Yahoo login, but the name alone gave me the following little plot bunny which of course I just had to write down. Enjoy!_

"So which teacher do you think is the best?" Belle asked the class. Professor McGonagall appeared to be a popular choice, as did a couple of others. Belle laughed.

"And which is the worst?" Her open, pretty face was innocent enough as she asked the question.

The veracity of the comments amazed her. Overwhelmingly the answer was Professor Snape.

"And why is that?" she asked, surprised that someone could be detested so thoroughly.

Although she received many answers, the one she liked most was, "He's just a completely evil bastard!"

"Mmmm, sounds just my type," she said lightly, winking at the students around her. "I really must track him down." The class laughed.

"You'd be Beauty and the Beast," some wag stated.

One of them helpfully told her she could find him in the dungeons. "Like a bloody great bat."

As she watched the last students of the day leave, Belle packed her bag. _It's time to go and find the worst teacher in the school,_ she thought. Opening the cupboard door, she checked her reflection in the mirror that resided within, smiling at what she saw. She knew she looked good with her long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, pale, creamy skin, and pink rosebud lips. Her lithe figure was dressed in a tight black pencil skirt and white silk blouse, unbuttoned just enough to show off the swell of her breasts attractively. Her long legs were cased in silk stockings and black suede high heels. She was of course wearing her robe, but she left it undone so the outfit and her trim figure could be seen. She pinched her cheeks to give them a slight flush and, batting her eyelids at the mirror one last time, turned to go.

Belle knocked on the classroom door and entered without waiting for a response. She stalked confidently towards the desk at the front of the room where Professor Snape sat. He looked up from his desk and saw a beautiful woman coming towards him, a big smile on her face. He rose to meet her, moving round the desk.

"You must be the completely evil bastard," she said brightly, laughing as his scowl deepened at the comment. "Of course you do know how unpopular you are, don't you?" She winked at him.

"And who are you?" Snape managed curtly. His eyes took in the outfit and the figure inside the outfit, eventually moving up to look at her face.

"Oh, I'm Belle," she replied flippantly. Before Snape realised what was happening she had walked right up to him and wrapped her arms around him, nestling against his body as she pulled his head forward and kissed him.

Snape reacted to the kiss automatically. As her tongue gently probed his mouth his tongue joined hers, the kiss becoming deeper and more passionate. His arms wrapped round Belle in return. He could feel her breasts pressed against his chest and he felt his body reacting as he held her tighter and felt her push closer to him. Suddenly his brain kicked into gear and he broke off the kiss, pushing the woman away from him. He scowled at her.

"What exactly do you think you are doing?" he asked, his voice dark chocolate with an edge of steel.

Belle, who looked momentarily disappointed when Snape moved away, smiled a brilliant smile.

"Well, I would have thought that was obvious. Kissing you, of course. And very pleasant it was, too. What a shame you wanted to stop." She pouted slightly. "Shall we try again?" She winked at him saucily.

Snape drew himself up to his full height and gave his scariest scowl. "No, Madam, we will not 'try again'. I don't even know who you are."

Belle laughed, a pleasant tinkling sound. "Oh, but I've told you who I am," she said. "Do you really need a full biography for me to get a kiss?" She looked at him and wrinkled her nose. "You know, you look so sexy when you scowl like that," and she laughed again at his disconcerted look.

She stepped towards him again and he tried to back away, but the desk was in the way. "Please don't tell me you're scared of me," Belle said, genuinely surprised.

"Madam, I have—"

"My name is Belle."

"Yes, you said. However—"

"So please stop calling me Madam. It's rude and presumptuous. If you want to talk to me, please use my name."

"_Belle_, I have no idea why you are here, but you seem to be under some misapprehension. I am not 'scared' of you. I don't wish to talk to you, nor do I wish to be intimate with you. So unless you have a particular reason for being here I suggest you leave immediately." He crossed his arms and stared at her, his voice pure molten steel now.

A slight frown crossed Belle's face before giving way to that attractive smile again. She made no move to leave.

"Oh, I don't want to talk work with you, Severus."

Snape felt an unexpected shiver of pleasure down his spine when she said his name.

"I'm sure we could find much more interesting things to talk about…or do." She winked at him again. "So tell me: how many buttons are you wearing?" she asked, her voice full of desire.

"What?" Snape was stunned by this question. He was still trying to work out why he hadn't marched this impertinent but undeniably attractive woman out of his classroom.

"Well I know you have twenty-six on your frock coat."

He looked at her in amazement.

"But I don't know how many you have on your shirt. And of course there are your trousers—I take it your trousers do have buttons?"

"Is it important?" Snape asked peevishly.

Belle laughed. "Well, I like buttons on trousers. In fact I love buttons generally, but sometimes they get in the way. They take ages to undo and sometimes you just can't bear the wait to get to all that sexy flesh underneath."

She leaned towards him again. He noticed that she was biting her bottom lip and couldn't help thinking how sexy it looked.

Snape felt he had to ask, although he knew he would regret it. "How do you know how many buttons I have on my coat?"

"Hmmm. Well, I've been mentally undressing you since I entered the room," Belle said candidly. "And obviously I had to undo the frock coat first. I counted the buttons as I undid them."

Snape knew she must be joking, but everything about her indicated that she was being completely serious.

"Of course, you could just let me undo your coat and then I could count the shirt buttons for myself, Severus." Her voice was more seductive now, and once again there was the shiver as she said his name. "Then that would only leave the trouser buttons."

She raised her eyebrows, her eyes sparkling playfully, and she ran her hand down his crossed arms. "Really, you need to relax," she asserted, "and I'm sure undoing all those buttons would help."

Snape didn't know what to do. He knew he should make Belle leave, but in truth he found her incredibly attractive and her voice was arousing him. He needed to get rid of her before his control slipped and he did something he would regret later. Something like pulling her to close him and kissing her soundly.

Her hands were pulling his arms apart, trying to get him to relax, and for a second he wondered how she would react if he turned the tables on her. He could smell her scent, a subtle mixture of magnolia and vanilla with just a touch of something else—was it her arousal? He thought of the taste of her mouth. As he gazed at her beautiful face, he made his decision.

He was just opening his arms when a knock came at the door and Albus Dumbledore entered.

Belle instantly stepped slightly away from Snape, putting a more respectable distance between them.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Albus said cheerfully, looking at the couple with that infuriating sparkle in his blue eyes.

"Not at all, Headmaster," said Belle with a smile. "I was just about to leave. I was beginning to drive poor Severus to distraction."

That tinkling laugh again.

Snape wanted to tell her not to leave and that she hadn't been annoying him but couldn't bring himself to say anything in front of Albus.

Instead he inclined his head and said in his silkiest voice, "I look forward to seeing you again soon, Belle."

He was rewarded with the brightest smile yet. "Oh, I'm sure it won't be long, Severus." And with that she turned and left the room.

Strange, thought Snape, how the place seemed duller without her.


End file.
